Simon Christie

Simon Christie is a Wellington based bass-baritone who studied singing under Emily Mair in Wellington and Udo Reinemann in Amsterdam.

Simon was a member of De Nieuwe Opera Academie in the Netherlands from 2001-2003 where he performed the roles of Figaro, Papageno and Le fauteil from L’enfant et les sortilèges. He also sang the role of Masetto with Opera Marzimino in Utrecht, and frequently toured the Netherlands in operas by Offenbach and Suppe for Opera Trionfo. He also sang in productions with the De Nederlandse Opera including Götterdämmerung, Norma, L’amour des Trois Orange, Peter Grimes and Samson.

In Oratorio, Simon sang throughout Europe as a bass soloist including at the Montedon Festival in France, the Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy and the Ljubliana Festival in Slovenia and in Denmark. He also sang Oratorio regularly throughout the Netherlands including Handels Messiah, Judas Maccabeus, Bach’s St Matthew and St John passions, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle and a large number of Bach cantatas where he performed regularly with the Noordelijke Bach Consort and the Amsterdam Bach consort.
Recital highlights include singing at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, recitals in Stuttgart for the KunstKeller Festival and Vaughan Williams Five Mystical Songs with the randstedelijke begeleidings orkest in Goes. A particular career highlight was performing Des Knaben Wunderhorn for the ex-French President, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, at his residence in the Loire Valley, France.

Since returning to New Zealand in 2010, Simon sings actively as an Oratorio soloist with Choirs. Highlights include the bass soloist in Brahms Requiem with the Tudor Consort, Jesus in the Schutz St Matthew Passion with the Tudor Consort, Jesus in Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Bach Choir, Mendelssohns Elijah with Kapiti Chorale, Rossini’s Petite Messe Solenelle with Nota Bene and Dvoraks Stabat Mater with the Kapiti Chorale ands Palmerston North Renaissance singers

Simon also enjoys ensemble singing where he sings renaissance music with Aurora IV, and German Lied with Maaike Christie-Beekman, Lisa Harper-Brown and Richard Greager with accompanists Emma Sayers and Richard Mapp.